I'll start with one of the biggest pieces of news first: as of March 10th, I have been living in my own place. I'm renting what is technically a "mobile home" even though its, erm, not actually mobile. *rolls eyes* It's like a cross between a large apartment and a small house. My neighborhood is pretty quiet, about 2/3 senior citizens with the occasional young family here and there. XD It's also about six miles from where I work so I can ride my bike to work when it's not too hot.

Currently I am rooming with my little sister which was kind of a mistake. Habit-wise we're not quite a good enough roomie match. Fortunately for me, she's out a lot at work or over her boyfriend's place, but the downside though is that then I'm stuck with her fucking-irritating-as-hell cat. *sigh* Let's just say I won't be sorry to see her and her animal menagerie leave.

Otherwise though I am very much enjoying my new living situation. I am occupying two small rooms at one end of the house so I have a study and a bedroom. :D I'll try to take some pics when I post again. Also, I loooooooove having my own kitchen, oh yeah! I've been cooking pretty regularly these days—mostly Japanese cuisine—and it's been awesome.

I'm also trying to be more disciplined about my writing. I absolutely love folk stories, and I am working on a couple projects involving that sort of fantasy. Two of the pieces deal with an enchanted forest and animal spirits. The first is a short one titled Penhallow Forest and the second is called The Rabbit God. Those definitely have the feel of an American folk story while the other idea is about a kind Buddhist monk versus a kumiho (Korean fox spirit) in old Korea. Needless to say, that last idea is necessitating some research, but I am enjoying it. All of the stories will be sort of a cross between prose and a comic. ^^

I also, astoundingly enough, have taken up writing fanfiction again. Indeed one could even say I'm somewhat part of a fandom again—that fandom being Kung Fu Panda.

Yes, really. Shush. XD

But in all seriousness, I do sooo love those movies, particularly the second, and I have already/am currently writing a lot for the series over on my Fanfiction.net account. It feels nice to do some fanworks again, especially when I feel like taking a break from my original stuff.

On another serious note... Since this spring, I've started considering graduate school. I won't be returning to school fulltime, but I do intend to take classes part time. My plan is to go for a master's in Library Science. I think this would suite me better than a History master's degree, and the more I look into it, the more I like the idea of Library Science. It would be a good complement to my History BA, but an LS degree would also be beneficial on my resume if I stay in the IT field a bit longer (there are data librarians after all). Besides, if I enroll in a job-relevant degree, the insurance company I work for might cover part of the tuition costs. *fingers crossed yo*

I'm not quite ready to pick up the textbooks again, but I know I'm going to be starting possibly fall 2013 or definitely sometime 2014 unless my plans change drastically. At the end of this year I'm going to reevaluate my finances and look at school paperwork so that I can form a more complete plan.

So. Like the cut text says, I am single again and probably permanently this time. Last month I broke things off with my girlfriend. It wasn't anything she or I did wrong, but rather my romantic feelings have just...faded. I think ultimately I like the idea of romance better than the real thing. I mean, on occasion I have fun going dancing with someone or flirting or going to fancy restaurants, but at the end of the day, I want to be solo. I don't feel like I'm meant to be in a relationship.

I pretty much knew all that before I fell in love last summer, but Rebekah and I are sooo freakishly compatible, and I was so smitten with her that I genuinely wanted to give us a shot. And in a sad-sweet way, I am glad that we tried. I have some really beautiful memories of our time as couple.

Fortunately for our friendship, we've both been very mature about this, and although it wasn't a mutual break-up, it was at least a civil one. Rebekah is a class act, and I do cherish our friendship.

On the silver lining side, it seems certain family members *cough*my sister but mostly my mother*cough, cough* may stop bringing up relationships with me. Needless to say, that was a pleasant surprise. I had expected exactly the opposite reaction, especially from my mother whose favorite phrase is "Hearts were meant to travel in twos." o.O

I'm a little irked it took me getting into and then ending a serious romantic relationship for my mother to finally get it, but c'est la vie I suppose. *shrug* She also seems to have at last wrapped her head around the asexuality thing too.

And speaking of such things... My mom also told me about a brief conversation she had with my cousin while he was visiting.

Mom: *reads my text about my break-up and says something to the effect that I'm just not a romantic or sexual person*Chris: Neither am I.

Huh. I actually sort of saw that coming though. My maternal cousin Chris (not to be confused with my other cousin Chris on my dad's side of the family who is a flaming gay man ;3 ) is an awful lot like me in general temperament and relationship history. Hmm, my family is nothing if not interesting...

How are things with the rest of you? I know I've been rather out of touch lately... I'll be hitting the hay soon, but tomorrow I plan to give my flist a good read. <3